Puppet Notes (Wearing Book) - 35

 

| PN | Dad! | 35

The ordinary liquid, upon contact with the air, instantly evaporated into gas. Only a few drops, which hadn’t had the chance to evaporate, slid down the white robe and vanished in midair. By the time Li Bai stood barefoot on the ground, his clothes were completely dry, and his hair had turned soft, devoid of any dampness.

“Dad?”

The white-haired figurine tilted his head up, his golden amber eyes resembling those of a beast under the fox mask. He looked at the man before him, tilting his head in a questioning manner, his voice soft and gentle, like a breeze passing through a forest.

Qi Chao was momentarily stunned, clearly not expecting the figurine to call him "Dad" right upon seeing him. However, he quickly regained his composure, reaching out to ruffle the figurine’s hair gently, his voice warm. “Li Bai is so smart.”

The warm palm resting lightly on his head made Li Bai’s eyes involuntarily narrow, giving him the appearance of a little fox with the mask on. 

After Qi Chao withdrew his hand, Li Bai snapped back to his senses, suddenly appearing a bit uneasy. 

His toes fidgeted on the floor as if he wanted to say something but then held back, looking at Qi Chao with a mix of curiosity and hesitation, seemingly afraid to gaze for too long and resorting to cautious peeks.

He made a lot of little gestures.

Qi Chao couldn't help but smile as he looked at the cub that was only as tall as his waist. He reached out and picked up Li Bai, letting the child sit on his arms.

"Li Bai, would you like Daddy to take you out?" 

Li Bai's eyes lit up with certainty as he wrapped his arms around Qi Chao's neck. 

Even though he wore a mask, his happiness couldn't be hidden, and his sharp little tiger teeth were exposed. "Okay!" A moment later, he cheerfully called out, "Daddy!"

The boy's voice was clear and pleasant, sweeter than a forest spring. Qi Chao's deep brown eyes warmed with paternal affection as he softly asked, "Are you feeling hungry, kiddo?"

As a puppet crafted by a puppet master, Li Bai naturally felt a deep affection for his dad from the moment he awakened. Recognizing his dad;s special fondness for him, the smile on Li Bai's face never faded. Occasionally, his sharp little tiger teeth would peek out, making him resemble a certain kind of beast. He sat on his father's arm and said obediently, "I'm not hungry."

Qi Chao nodded in understanding. When they reached the door to the basement, he set Li Bai down and pulled out several pairs of shoes, asking, "What kind of shoes does Li Bai like?"

Li Bai glanced at his feet, then at the colorful array of shoes on the ground. Tilting his head, the mask covering half of his face made his current dilemma quite apparent.

"Can I go without shoes?" Li Bai thought he could manage barefoot.

Qi Chao patted his head and firmly replied, "No, you can't go out without shoes."

The white-haired puppet understood. After a moment of contemplation, he stood before a pair of bamboo sandals, looking up at Qi Chao and asked, "Dad, can I wear these?"

"Of course."

Upon hearing Qi Chao's words, Li Bai smiled, revealing his small tiger teeth. His golden eyes curved into crescents, showing his happiness. He immediately squatted down to change his shoes.

Qi Chao had originally wanted to help Li Bai change his shoes, but seeing his cub skillfully changing them, he paused and smiled, lowering his head. 

From the color of Li Bai's mother stone, he could tell that his cub's status was definitely not low. It was quite amazing for him to be so clever right after birth.

He wondered if Lan Luo and Moss were also as clever when they were just born.

After changing his shoes, Li Bai stood up. He looked at his dad, hesitated for a moment, and tugged on Qi Chao's clothes. Looking up, he asked, "Dad, can you still hold Li Bai even after I put on my shoes?"

Does he even need to think about that question?

Qi Chao immediately squatted down and picked up Li Bai, saying gently, "Of course."

Li Bai was happy.

His memories in the mother stone were very vague, but Li Bai knew that there was someone who would gently transmit energy to him every day, with each bit of energy carrying the expectations for his birth.

As the energy increased, he would occasionally receive some knowledge from the outside world. Li Bai knew that the person who transmitted energy to him every day was his father, and he knew that his father had created him.

Li Bai thought that he really liked his father.

However, compared to the title of father, it seemed that his father preferred to be called Dad.

From the day of his birth, clever puppets would seek to please their fathers. Sure enough, after he called him that title, his father seemed very pleased.

Li Bai felt that he was really amazing.

If Qi Chao knew what Li Bai was thinking, he might have been overwhelmed with cuteness again. After leaving the basement, he watched his little cub curiously look around. 

After thinking for a moment, he put him down and took its hand, saying, "Li Bai, you should walk on your own. Dad is here holding your hand, so don't be afraid."

This was Li Bai's first time seeing the outside world, it was completely different from the basement. He had been curious about the unfamiliar flowers and trees around him, but now Dad was letting him go. He panicked for a moment and was about to say something when he heard Qi Chao's words.

"Dad is holding your hand, don't be afraid."

Li Bai looked at his hand holding his father's, then glanced around. He nodded heavily, raised his head, and said to Qi Chao, "Dad, don't be afraid either. Li Bai is holding your hand too."

Even though his fox mask covered his face, it couldn't hide Li Bai's solemn and determined gaze.

Qi Chao: ...

His own cub was just too cute.

Originally driven by a mischievous impulse to see if his cub would be scared, Qi Chao suddenly felt ashamed that his heart was dirty. He rubbed Li Bai's small head and tried to make amends, saying, "If you're scared, just tell Dad, and Dad will carry you."

Li Bai shook his head. "I'm not scared."

Qi Chao looked at Li Bai's slightly trembling legs and rubbed his nose with his index finger, saying nothing more.

Once inside the villa, he lifted Li Bai back into his arms. The white-haired doll curled up in his father's embrace, realizing that the outside world wasn't actually that scary.

In the living room, the doctor and two dolls—one adult-sized and one child-sized—were watching cartoons, but none of them were really paying attention to the projection screen.

"Why can't we go to the basement together?"

Lan Luo pursed his lips as he spoke. Shen Yuxi glanced at him with a mysterious look, lowering his head slightly. His thin lips parted as he calmly said, "You should know."

Lan Luo did indeed know. When a puppet master placed a puppet's heart, they needed to be extremely careful. The slightest unfamiliar aura could cause issues in the fusion between the mother stone and the vessel.

He didn't know why he had asked such a foolish question. Perhaps it was because both his father and master often went to the basement, which made him curious about the puppet.

Moss's dark eyes shifted slightly to the left, glancing at Lan Luo indifferently before lowering his head to focus on braiding his own doll's hair.

For an ordinary child, two months would have been enough time to grow tired of playing with a doll. But Moss was not an ordinary child. He held onto his doll every day, even learning to style its hair in various ways.

A faint sound came from the doorway. The three sitting on the sofa instinctively turned their gaze towards it. A handsome man stood there, his left hand on the armrest and his right arm cradling a white-haired "boy."

The boy seemed to have keen hearing and sensed something. He slightly tilted his head, revealing a fox mask adorned with red patterns. From their angle, they could only see the puppet's delicate chin.

Shen Yuxi glanced at them once and immediately knew that this puppet's rank was definitely not low. His lips curved into a slight smile as he stood up, his blue eyes twinkling with amusement. He slowly said, "Li Bai woke up quickly."

Qi Chao closed the door behind him, his deep brown eyes filled with amusement. "Yes, he woke up in just two hours. I originally thought it would take much longer."

Saying this, he walked with Li Bai to the sofa and set the puppet down. The white-haired puppet seemed to revert to its state upon leaving the basement, instantly clutching Qi Chao's clothes and agilely hiding behind him. The amber-like eyes beneath the mask cautiously observed the three across from them.

Qi Chao patted Li Bai's head gently and whispered, "Don't be afraid, they are my friends."

Lan Luo glanced at the puppet hiding behind its master and pursed his lips.

Li Bai was a doll born out of anticipation. From the moment of awakening, he received kindness and love from his father. He was easily coaxed, after a few soothing words from Qi Chao, Li Bai emerged from behind him and smiled, revealing his small tiger teeth to the three in front of him.

"This is your godfather," Qi Chao said, smiling at Shen Yuxi. "Before you were born, your godfather helped me a lot and taught me many things. Based on that relationship, you should call him godfather."

The white-haired doll nodded, tilting his face up and cheerfully called out, "Godfather!" His voice was full of energy and vitality.

Shen Yuxi looked at the doll wearing the fox mask and seemed to think of something, but he didn't voice any objections. His lips curved slightly, and his gentle blue eyes softened as he nodded softly.

Li Bai looked at the gentle man before him, feeling somewhat familiar. He seemed to have seen this man during his time in the mother stone.

This person was very handsome.

Li Bai liked handsome people.

He decided to place this godfather in the second spot of his favorites, with Dad being the first—unchangeable.

"This is your brother Moss," Qi Chao introduced each child in turn, looking at Li Bai who crisply called out the names of the two brothers. He smiled and said, "You all should get along well."

Moss and Lan Luo nodded. Li Bai watched their gestures and also nodded eagerly, saying cheerfully, "Okay! Dad."

Li Bai was initially shy when meeting someone for the first time, but once familiar, he became quite lively. As he nodded, it seemed like there was a fluffy tail behind him excitedly wagging.

Qi Chao couldn't help but ruffle Li Bai's head and continued, "I'll go cook for us. You can watch cartoons with your godfather and your two brothers."

Li Bai obediently nodded. Shen Yuxi heard this and gently added, "I'll go with you."

Qi Chao smiled and said, "Okay," then lightly patted Li Bai's head. "Then you'll stay with your two brothers."

After Qi Chao finished speaking, he saw both Lan Luo and Li Bai smiling at him. Moss, covered in bandages, showed no expression, but as the eldest brother, he had a good personality and would surely get along well with Li Bai. 

Qi Chao relaxed and went to the kitchen with the doctor, leaving only the three puppets in the living room.

Moss, described as having a "good personality," glanced up at Li Bai, then continued to lower his head to braid his own doll's hair, his attitude extremely cold.

Even if the puppet in front of him was Lan Luo, Moss would likely react in the same manner.

Li Bai glanced at Moss, then at Lan Luo who seemed smiley and good-natured. He slowly walked over and tentatively sat down beside Moss.

Brother Lan Luo should be very gentle.

Li Bai thought to himself, wondering if the cartoons Dad mentioned would be enjoyable.

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